


rose tint my world

by poppyharris



Series: and i think it’s going to be a long long time [1]
Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: F/M, Sierra Madre, holograms, this is EMOTIONAL be SAD or ELSE
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23872792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppyharris/pseuds/poppyharris
Summary: maybe he should've been nicer to betty.
Relationships: Female Courier/Dean Domino
Series: and i think it’s going to be a long long time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2188890
Kudos: 11





	rose tint my world

a new hologram roamed the sierra madre. it made dean sick, watching her delicate frame wonder the casino. 

unlike vera, betty had been relatively quiet as she died. dean almost missed the screaming pleas from vera, especially when betty stared straight over his head, quiet sobs taking dean by surprise when the fans quietened down. 

he definitely didn't miss the collar around his neck, but whenever he felt the remaining welts, dean was suddenly reminded on what he'd lost to lose the collar. the casino had opened, but dean felt empty. there were signs of betty everywhere, especially on the actual casino floor, where a small camp had been set up under a table. 

today, day eighty four, dean was going to the executive suites. he was putting it off though, pretending to gamble, pretending to drink. the combination of vera and betty's final resting spots was going to hurt, he knew it. 

the elevator was slow. painfully slow. dean hated being alone with his thoughts, betty was constantly cropping up. he wasn’t going to see her body, that tiny detail barely comforted him, but he was going to see vera, and what she’d become after dean started rotting away.

he wasn’t quite expecting to see betty staring back at him as he left the elevator. 

it wasn’t really betty, but dean couldn’t help the delight that soared in his heart, before promptly crashing back down. dean wanted to apologise, for brushing her off, for refusing to come with her to the vault, for threatening to shoot her after her refusal to face her fear of heights and just climb the damn tower. 

he should’ve gathered her in his arms, held her close. told betty she was safe, she didn’t have to climb the tower, who cared about a stupid casino anyway? as long as dean had betty and betty had dean, he should’ve been satisfied.

but he wasn’t. betty’s excited expression when the casino lit up almost made him think he’d made the right decision, opening the golden gates. but, her quiet cries for help from inside the vault as she desperately spoke into her collar’s microphone reminded dean of his colossal mistake.

he couldn’t respond, couldn’t offer words of comfort as she slowly suffocated. her last, quiet gasps of air continued to haunt dean. he’d wake up, gasping for air, calling out for betty, his arms instinctively reaching out for her.   
  
dean never deserved betty, though. her optimistic smile and sunny attitude rarely faltered, and when it did, it was usually because of dean. she’d found him out first, still fairly new to the casino and it’s cloud. he’d heard her before he saw her, coughing loudly as she desperately tried to waft the cloud from her path.

betty never quite understood the cloud, but she understood that while within it, she needed to keep under dean’s arm. he imagined a simpler time when she could’ve been on his arm as they stride into the madre together. not robbing the vault out of personal greed, but a desire to protect something... someone.

dean wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there, in front of the elevator, staring into betty’s flickering blue eyes. her champagne hair had been tied into a braided crown, a departure from the scraped back ponytail dean only ever saw her hair in. he’d always loved playing with her hair, even if it was a gentle tug to keep her moving after she became idle.

dean hated himself for every second his eyes wondered her frame, the soft satin dress revealing curves that a bulky jumpsuit never did. it wasn’t vera’s dress, more of a gentle evening attire.

dean wanted to make a move towards the hologram, to stop the cold, emotionless eyes from staring straight through him. betty had looked through him a few times, but never enough to make him feel small.

the holograms lips began to move, not to speak, but to cry. betty had always been quiet, but even in death, she sounded so fragile, so... soft. dean took a step closer, to do what? wipe her tears? get a fucking grip, dean. she’s a hologram.

he moved past betty, noticing how the security doors were still open, some with scratches on the side due to betty not knowing that her cosmic knife was strong, but not strong enough to break steel. the tiny details that truly marked betty slowly grew, and as dean entered vera’s suite, his stomach turned.

written, in what only could be blood, were the words “begin again”. 

christine was slumped against the window, dried blood behind her, and...

yeah, that was brains.

dean wished he was strong enough to take christine’s advice and just blow his own brains out. maybe his hologram could hook up with betty’s.

he thought back to the cheap imitation sinclair had made of him back in the lounge. the movements were jerky and it didn’t even open it’s mouth as it sang. all because dean managed to fuck vera first.

talking of vera...

dean held his breath, and stepped into vera’s bedroom. and stared at her skeleton. and...

he felt nothing.

a woman he’d manipulated and blackmailed and tricked, dead in a chair from the drugs that were prolonging her life.

betty, someone he’d sought to begin again with, dead in a vault, surrounded by riches, dying after finding out gold wasn’t much good when you had no more oxygen.

dean sunk down into the bed, suddenly plagued with thoughts that he’d been trying to ignore. he’d never loved vera, that’d become clear as he spent more and more time with betty.

her simple, positive outlook on life was more refreshing after vera’s constant moaning about her career and sinclair. dean pondered on if betty had been alive before the bombs. what would’ve happened if he’d never come to this accursed casino. 

maybe they’d have settled down in denver with two kids called belle and jack. maybe they would’ve grown old together.

but no. the bombs had gone off. dean was cursed to live for all eternity without his sunshine.

dean stood up, left vera’s room, and went to see if christine had anymore bullets.


End file.
